


It's lovely weather for a Christmas with you

by luminism



Category: Keeper of the Lost Cities Series - Shannon Messenger
Genre: Alternate Universe - Human, Christmas, Christmas Party, Domestic Fluff, Edaline Ruewen-centric, Established Relationship, F/M, Not Beta Read, Surprises, advent calendars as a plot point, i hope i made them cute, pre-marriage gradaline
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-25
Updated: 2020-12-25
Packaged: 2021-03-10 00:40:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,375
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27785380
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/luminism/pseuds/luminism
Summary: It's a tradition for Grady and Edaline to fill their advent calendar with their own gifts, alternating every day. It's also a running joke about who will have chosen the better gifts to put in the calendar. Edaline says she can guarantee hers are better this year, but Grady's not so convinced.
Relationships: Edaline Ruewen/Grady Ruewen, Minor or Background Relationship(s)
Comments: 6
Kudos: 7





	It's lovely weather for a Christmas with you

**Author's Note:**

  * For [moonlark (epistolaries)](https://archiveofourown.org/users/epistolaries/gifts).



> Happy Holidays y'all! And Merry Christmas to moonlark, who inspired me to write this just by saying that she has a fic she wants to surprise me with. I hope you love it a lot and that it was worth the wait :)  
> Sorry to anyone else who reads this if it sucks, she's also my beta reader and she hasn't read it until now as I'm posting it  
> For context, I kind of pictured Gradaline being like mid-twenties?? Somewhere in that range where they're not fresh out of college and super broke, but like they haven't bought a house yet  
> I don't know how life works  
> Anyway I hope you guys enjoy this fic and find them adorable and domestic!  
> The title is an edited lyric from Sleigh Ride

**♥** **December 1** **♥**

"Hey Grady, can you bring me that box by your foot? I can't find the lights and that's the only one I haven't checked yet."

"Yes, let me just grow a third arm to carry that box and this garland," Grady grumbled. But he was already picking up the box labeled _Grady and Edaline's Christmas stuff!!_ and carrying it over to where Edaline was sprawled across the floor surrounded by boxes of ornaments and various decorations.

"Thank you, love," she sang, pretending for his sake that she didn't see the sappy smile on his face and letting him think that she believed his grumpy act. 

"Maybe we should label our boxes better now so we don't have to go through this again next year." Grady said while digging through another box labeled _More Christmas stuff!._

"I don't know, this is kind of a tradition," Edaline replied, turning around to face Grady and laughing at the scrunched up look he gave her. "Alright, let me go grab the Sharpie and we'll fix this."

After correctly labeling all the boxes, the two unpacked the decorations and stepped back to figure out the best way to tackle the mountain of a task at hand. Several minutes of debating and threats of creating a decorating schedule later, they finally agreed that the tree was the best place to start to avoid stepping on or knocking over delicate ornaments. 

"Any preference for music?" Edaline asked, carefully avoiding the piles and boxes of decorations to reach her speaker. Really, she should get a damn Olympic medal for managing to not trip on this mess. 

Grady hummed, only barely able to focus on Edaline's question due to the star he was precariously putting on the top of the tree, tongue sticking out in concentration. 

Edaline has always found this habit of Grady's particularly adorable, focusing on him anytime they did anything together and getting distracted until she realized that she still had work to do. There's a reason Edaline and Grady can't work together.

Not that Edaline needs an answer, however. Just like their instant decoration on December first every year, the couple has one carefully curated Christmas playlist that they play until the sound of sleigh bells is enough to make one of them go insane. Edaline scrolled through her embarrassing number of playlists (most of them dedicated to time spent with Grady) before finally finding their annual playlist. The familiar sound of woodwinds on eighth notes and brass responses flooded the apartment, causing Edaline to mumble the lyrics to Sleigh Ride under her breath on the way back to the tree. 

They continued decorating at this pace, only occasionally getting distracted. Though whether they found singing along to Christmas songs or each other more distracting, they'll never say. 

⚭

"Do you have your advent calendar gifts?" Edaline asked as she set up the calendar marked with 24 small doors. 

For the past five years, one of the big traditions in Grady and Edaline's apartment has been the advent calendar they emptied to fill with their own gifts. Each wraps twelve small gifts that they think the other will like and place them in alternating days according to whose turn it is to open the door. 

"Of course," Grady replied, picking up a plastic bag and walking over to the calendar. 

Now usually, they trade odds and evens each year. Usually. Edaline had just opened the door painted with a gold _2_ when Grady shoved a small green cube in the door and shut it. 

"I call evens this year."

Edaline frowned. She didn't really care which numbers she got, or even if they took turns each year. But Grady seemed strange, like he was looking everywhere but her. 

"Alright, I guess. Are you okay? You look off."

"Wow, Eda. You can just tell me I look horrible." Grady's tone was light and joking, but his eyes revealed a nervous energy.

"I'd never say that," she said, nudging his shoulder. "I'd just imply it."

All the tension left Grady's face as he laughed, nudging Edaline's shoulder back and bickering with her. _Huh_. Edaline smiled, convinced that she must have just imagined Grady's behavior. 

They continued putting their gifts in the advent calendar side by side, since most of the gifts were wrapped anyway. The only present not yet put away was number twenty four, Grady's Christmas Eve finale. But before he could even take the gift out of his grocery bag, Edaline's phone chimed from the other side of the room and she left to check it, allowing Grady to stuff the gift into the door and collect the bags. 

"Done," he said when Edaline returned, putting the bags into the cabinet to be reused.

"Awesome! So whose gifts are going to be better this year? Because I've got to say, I'm feeling pretty confident about mine."

"Oh yeah?" Grady smirked. "I wouldn't be so sure if I were you."

"If they're that good, you should just give them to me now and let me decide."

"But that would ruin the surprise." 

Edaline frowned and lightly punched Grady's chest, not expecting him to grab her hand and spin her around the living room instead. She fought with the frown on her face before finally giving into laughter after a few turns. The twirls didn't match at all with the notes being belted by Mariah Carey in the background, but Edaline couldn't care less. Her laughter grew louder and higher pitched the more Grady spun her, her head spinning from the fast motion. He probably would have kept spinning her, but the moment she mentioned getting dizzy, he abruptly stopped the motion and held onto her arms to steady her. 

"I think you're forgetting something," Edaline said once the room stopped spinning, pointing towards the advent calendar. 

"Should I open it now?"

Edaline shrugged. "We're going to have to repack and move all these boxes back to the storage unit soon, and I think you're going to want the contents for that."

"Unless there's a potion that will make me able to snap my fingers and all the boxes disappear, then I'm not sure it'll make a difference."

"Well it definitely can't do that, but I think it'll still make you happier."

With one raised eyebrow, Grady made his way over to the advent calendar and reached for the door labeled _1._ Edaline rapidly patted her hands on her knees in an attempt at a dramatic drumroll, cutting it off as soon as Grady opened the door. Upon opening the little box he found inside, he immediately dug into the gift, also known as his favorite chocolates. 

"Thank you Eda," he sang once he swallowed the first chocolate. 

The entire time they repacked and loaded the remaining boxes into their car, Grady kept reaching back into the box for another chocolate. All of the sweets were gone by the time they got back home to their apartment. 

_Oh yeah, I'm definitely winning this year._

**♥** **December 9** **♥**

"I'm starting to see why you were so confident about your gifts," Grady said, pulling the ticket stub from their first movie date out of the _9_ box.

"You should always believe me when I'm confident, I usually have good reason to be," Edaline teased back. 

Grady stuck his tongue out at her, snorting when she replied with the same gesture. He wandered over to where she stood, staring at the movie ticket on the way.

"I remember this movie," he said. "It was horrible."

Edaline wants to disagree. She really does, just tease him for saying that about their first movie date. But the issue is he's not wrong. It was boring and the characters were unlikeable, making it arguably one of the worst movies Edaline had ever seen. Luckily for them, they were able to laugh and bond over how bad the movie was afterwards, creating plenty of conversation while he walked her home.

"It was," Edaline agreed. "That was a good date though."

"I seem to remember you telling me that it was the worst and most boring movie date you'd ever been on."

"Slander."

Edaline was about to explain that she really did have fun on that date, as horrible as the movie was. But Grady, the wonderful man he is, just smiled knowingly and wrapped her in a hug. And Edaline knew that she didn't have to explain. 

**♥** **December 11** **♥**

Edaline was sitting on the couch, rereading the copy of _A Christmas Carol_ Grady had given her, when she felt something touching the top of her head. Startled, she looked up to see a sprig of mistletoe and Grady's smiling face.

"Ah, I see you've checked the advent calendar."

"Yes I did," he said leaning down to place a kiss on Edaline's lips. "I've got to say, that one was clever."

"Thank you very much," Edaline said with a smile. "Clever enough to admit your defeat?"

"Absolutely not."

Edaline pouted, eliciting a laugh from Grady. She glanced up and realized that the mistletoe was still being held over her head. So naturally, she responded the only way she could in this situation.

Grady laughed against her lips after a few seconds, pulling back just enough to look at her in the eyes. "I guess we have to if we have mistletoe, right?"

"Of course," Edaline replied, kissing him again. He didn't tease her this time, just leaned into Edaline's touch and allowed her to kiss him as long as she wanted. 

**♥** **December 12** **♥**

Edaline isn't a dancer, but Grady has always gushed about graceful and elegant she is in everything she does. Grady isn't a dancer either, though he's definitely less graceful. Not clumsy, per se, but just average gracefulness levels, stumbling over his feet when he gets distracted. So, Edaline would be the better ice skater, right?

  
 _This is stupid,_ Edaline thinks as she stumbles and quickly flails her arms a little to find something to steady herself. That something happened to be Grady's arm, who has been patiently hanging back to skate at her pace. 

"You can go skate ahead," she said, noticing his small strides to match her unsteady ones. "I promise I'll manage by myself."

Wanting to prove her point so Grady can go enjoy himself, Edaline tried pushing off of his arm and gliding forward a bit, pleasantly surprised by the smooth and steady motion. Her feet, however, decided to prove another point. After a few successful glides, Edaline's left foot turned at an angle and shot forward without her control, sending her into another flailing panic. Despite her poor luck with keeping her balance, Edaline liked to think that her ability to regain it and right herself on thin pieces of metal on _ice_ (really, who came up with ice skating?) was rather impressive. 

Once she finally regained her center of balance, Edaline looked up with a proud smile, only for it to be wiped away by Grady biting back laughter. 

"Listen," she started. But that was apparently all it took for Grady to lose in his fight with his laughter. Edaline found herself laughing along with only a slightly exasperated tone, paired with a few "stop laughing"s that only made them both worse. 

"Whose idea was it to go ice skating anyway?" Edaline huffed. 

It was her idea to go ice skating. 

"We can't all be graceful all the time, Eda," Grady teased as she stumbled again, though he had already shot a hand out to stop her from falling. "Were you always this bad at skating?"

"No, I swear I used to be better. Remember when we came here for our first Christmas?"

Grady smiled, and Edaline could tell he remembers the date just as clearly as she does. After all, it had been the night of their first kiss. 

Back when they were still in college, Edaline had a seasonal job at the hot chocolate stand beside the skating rink, and Grady had come to skate with some friends. Edaline didn't notice him at first, but immediately thought he was attractive when he and a tall dark-haired friend wandered over to order hot chocolate for their group. In a moment of unprecedented boldness, Edaline wrote her number on his cup, and sure enough, he called her that night and asked her to go on a date the next day.

A couple dates and the shared stress of finals later, they started going out shortly before Christmas. Being a new couple paired with the time of year led to them being "the cheesiest and most annoying Hallmark movie couple ever", to quote Della and Alden (which Edaline later learned was the name of the aforementioned tall dark-haired friend). 

Since they both spent most of actual Christmas day with their families, Grady and Edaline agreed to meet up to ice skate and exchange gifts in the evening. They had only meant to stay for a couple of hours since it was late, but they got lost in conversation ("Or each other's eyes," Della would tease Edaline the next day), and the next thing they knew, Edaline's coworkers at the hot chocolate stand were packing up for midnight closing time. Grady walked Edaline back to hers and Della's dorm, kissing her goodnight and leaving her with the goofiest smile on her face. That night had been truly memorable, and made the ice skating rink an important place in their relationship. 

"Hmm," Grady thinks for a moment. "No, I'm pretty sure you were just as bad then as you are now."

"Whatever," Edaline grumbled. "This is a personal attack and I'm going to sit down."

  
"Are you not having a good time? We can go do something else."

Edaline smiled reassuringly. "No, I'm just tired and want to get some hot cocoa. I can get you a cup for when you're done skating."

"I would love that, thank you Eda."

Sure enough, Grady had been holding back to stay with Edaline. The moment Edaline was safely back on solid ground and trading the skates for her boots, he began zooming across the ice in intricate loops and patterns. Edaline stood watching him, mesmerized by his gracefulness on the ice. _Right, hot chocolate._

She turned away from the ice and walked towards the hot cocoa stand, ordering from the young cashier and stepping off to the side while she waited. The wait was a little long, not that Edaline minded of course. She remembered how busy this job could be. 

And if the wait gave her more time to watch Grady skate, then that's nobody's business but her own. 

Edaline wandered over to a nearby table and set the two hot chocolates down, pulling out her phone to see several texts from Della asking her about a party on Christmas Eve. She'll have to check with Grady later if he wants to go, but for now, Edaline just talks to her old friend. Being at the ice skating rink makes her reminisce about their college days, practically living in the library and going to sleep just as the other wakes up for class. 

**[Edaline]**

Grady and I are at the ice skating rink

Remember when I used to work here?

**[Della]**

Oh my gosh yes

Remember when you got home from your date 

And you were bright red

And you told me it was just the wind

**[Edaline]**

I have no idea what you're talking about

Oh would you look at that Grady's calling me over I guess I have to go now goodbye

Edaline sighs, but can't help but smile fondly at Della's "I'm sure the wind will make your face go red again" as she shuts her phone off. Leave it to Della to bring up how she teased Edaline mercilessly for not wanting to admit that Grady had kissed her. 

"Hey."

 _Speak of the devil and he shall appear_ , Edaline thought, definitely not jumping after getting startled out of her thoughts. Grady seemed to have noticed, based on his small smile, but he chose to ignore the way she startled. _God, I love this man._

"Are you getting cold?" He asked after studying the way her hands clutched her cup of hot chocolate. "We've been here for a while and I know your hands and feet get cold easily."

_Have I mentioned how much I love this man?_

Edaline nodded, handing him his own warm cup. "I'm a bit cold, but I can manage a while longer. And it's really just my hands, those fluffy reindeer socks are doing their job." _Those fluffy reindeer socks_ being the socks Edaline found when she checked the advent calendar five minutes before leaving to go skating, and promptly made Grady wait so she could change her socks. 

Grady held out his unoccupied hand to pull Edaline up from the table and to her feet. "Come on, we can drink our hot chocolate on the way back to the car and go home. Does that sound good?"

"That sounds perfect."

**♥** **December 15** **♥**

"Come on!" Edaline shouted, tugging on Grady's hand. "We don't want to miss it!"

"Eda it's freezing," Grady complained. "If I'm smart I'll turn around right now to get the car."

Edaline glanced down at their hands, which Grady had yet to untangle from each other. She knew that as long as she held his hand, he would gladly walk through the cold to a tree lighting. 

_Ha, whipped._

"We'll be home soon, the walk isn't that long and we just have to stay long enough to watch the lights come on."

As much as Edaline loves not having to spend gas money, this was admittedly not the best idea. Walking in the evening in December? That's just stupid and begging to be cold. So, to make up for it, Edaline walks right up against Grady, both trying to alleviate the cold for him as well as steal some of his body heat.

Grady looked down with an amused look on his face, clearly debating if he wanted to tease Edaline for talking about wanting to go to this tree lighting and then being cold.

"I just wanted to make sure you weren't cold," she said before he got the chance. Grady hummed, still looking down at her with an amused expression. Edaline was waiting for the teasing, but all he did was just pull her closer and wrap an arm around her waist while they walked. And Edaline didn't miss the way her heart fluttered even after years together. 

⚭

Every year, the lights never fail to amaze her. Their town square not only decorates and lights a giant tree, but also wraps lights around every street post down the street. 

Edaline spun around, admiring the way the various strands of twinkling lights made the whole square glow, the wonderful and magical feeling of the evening.

"Smile!"

Edaline turned in the direction of the sound to be met with Grady hidden behind a camera. The camera clicks and Grady reappears, focused on checking the picture. 

"Wait, I wasn't ready," Edaline complained, leaning over to also check how the picture turned out. Sure enough, the lights were overexposed, and Edaline's face was blurry, and her expression was one of surprise and confusion. The best way to summarize the shot was that it was not a very flattering picture, and yet—

"You look beautiful," Grady said, and Edaline could tell he meant it from the sappy smile on his face and genuine tone. 

Edaline felt her cheeks warm, a sharp contrast to the cold night. Edaline buried her face in Grady's shoulder, hiding the shy smile that had magically appeared on her face. They stayed that way for a few moments, Grady holding his camera in one hand and wrapping his other around Edaline's waist, Edaline leaning her face on his chest. 

"Can we take a picture together?" Edaline asked, so softly she wasn't sure Grady heard her. 

"Of course," he replied, because somehow he's able to hear her even when she mumbles, like an Edaline sense. He lifts the camera up, still holding onto her waist with his other arm. 

The first picture looks like a traditional selfie, both Grady and Edaline looking up at the camera and smiling.

The second picture, however, Edaline found herself watching Grady. Right before taking the picture, Grady turned his head to look at her, and the end result was a cliche looking-into-each-other's-eyes picture.

The third picture, Grady bent down to kiss Edaline, who closed her eyes and leaned into him, not caring about their cold and chapped lips. 

_Click._

"Ah, look at us! We took those stupidly sappy couple pictures," Edaline said as Grady looked through the selfies they just took. He chose not to call Edaline out for half of her camera roll being made up of pictures incredibly similar to "those stupidly sappy couple pictures", which Edaline was very thankful for. 

Just like the first picture Grady had taken of Edaline, the night was too dark and the lights too bright and focused to create clear lighting, but neither cared. All that mattered was that they had these pictures, and that they spent the night walking down the lit street. 

⚭

Grady and Edaline trudged back into the apartment, both still bundled in layer upon layer of jackets and warm clothing. 

Did they save gas money by walking? Yes, the drive wouldn't have been worth the money and environmental costs for such a short distance.

Did they also freeze to the point where the only thing either of them wanted to do was sit in a one thousand degree bath of water? Also yes. 

"I'm going to go change into my pajamas," Edaline said. "And then I'm going to collapse in bed and fall asleep with ten blankets."

"You're not going to shower first?"

"I think I'd fall asleep in the shower."

"Understandable."

They both shuffled towards their bedroom and bathroom down the hall, eager to end up in a warm bed as soon as possible. Once they finally reached the room, it took all of Edaline's willpower to not grab Grady and fall over onto the bed to cuddle until they fell asleep. She was fighting a very difficult battle which she almost lost. Eventually her need to change and brush her teeth won, supported mainly by the fact that Grady was already moving to get ready for bed and there is no way Edaline would be strong enough to drag him to bed. 

One incident of Edaline accidentally sticking her head in an arm hole and Grady almost falling asleep while taking his jacket off later, Edaline stood in front of the mirror to brush her teeth and go to bed, Grady lagging behind. 

Just as Edaline finished and was turning to go to bed, Grady walked over to wrap her up in a hug, his hands pulling her in by her arms. She's sure it was meant to be very domestic and adorable (not that she'd ever try to stop Grady from trying it again under other circumstances), but Grady did not get the reaction he was hoping for. 

Edaline shrieked and twisted away from Grady. "Your hands are so cold! Get away from me you ice demon!"

"Come on, they're not even that cold." Grady said, laughing until he pressed his hand to his own face. "Oh shit. Actually, they kind of are."

"I told you so," Edaline huffed before walking away towards their bed. "I'm going over here where it's warm, thank you very much."

"Goodnight," Grady called from the bathroom.

"Goodnight, ice demon."

Edaline laid there in the dark with the blankets pulled up around her, listening to the sound of Grady's toothbrush whir from the bathroom. She tried to fall asleep, but sleep rarely comes that quickly even when she's tired, instead leaving her to lay in the dark while her brain goes to the strangest places. 

In the middle of one scenario involving Grady as a dinosaur wrestler, a sudden extra weight next to her signaled Grady climbing into bed. Edaline rolled over, grabbing his (still cold) hands and holding them close.

"I thought my hands were cold?" Grady asked.

"They are," Edaline started, smiling at him in the dark. "But I felt bad for leaving you to suffer cold hands by yourself."

Grady laughed, a sound Edaline could hear all day. "How considerate of you."

He pulled one of his hands free, instead wrapping it around Edaline's waist and pulling her closer. Edaline leaned into his body, still holding his other hand. Suddenly he doesn't feel so cold. 

Grady pressed his lips to the top of her head, whispering "goodnight, love."

Edaline smiled and soon drifted off to sleep, much faster than usual. 

**♥** **December 18** **♥**

Edaline understood why Grady had been so confident in his gift choices. So far he had gotten her a handwritten poem in a bottle, her favorite flowers, and various other trinkets Edaline could use for work or just to relax. Every time they got onto the subject of the advent calendar, Grady smiled and said she hadn't gotten to the best gift yet. But Edaline wasn't giving up hope, since she had gotten enthusiastic reactions from every single gift Grady has opened, from the bright green dinosaur to the colorful candy canes the day before. There were only a few days left in the calendar, and it was looking like a tight race for the best gifts. 

And Edaline knows that she shouldn't be getting so competitive over a simple advent calendar. She knows that they should just be enjoying each other's gifts and presence. She does, of course. At the end of the day, she just loves seeing Grady's face light up with joy at the gifts she carefully chose. But she just can't help it. There's a reason her debate team coach in high school had to pull her aside and remind her not to make the opponent cry. It's just in Edaline's nature to be competitive. Not as if Grady is any better; his hockey coach had to tell him something similar after practice one day. 

Edaline found herself practically sprinting towards the advent calendar one morning the week before Christmas, eager to see what Grady had waiting for her. 

_Damn it this is so pretty,_ Edaline thought, studying the painted ornament. The matte blue sphere was detailed with delicate snowflakes and snow-covered trees sprinkled with glitter. In the middle of the ornament, there was a tall building that Edaline realized was their apartment building. Edaline loves it. 

She put it on the tree, right on a branch where she'd be able to see it easily. With a smile, Edaline walked into the kitchen to make coffee before getting ready for work. 

So yeah, Edaline was enjoying her time and traditions with Grady. It just so happens that enjoying their tradition also means getting competitive and one-upping each other like middle school boys in PE class. Edaline wouldn't change it for the world.

**♥** **December 19** **♥**

"This is so corny, why are we watching this?" Grady complained for the sixth time in the past five minutes. Edaline lightly punched his side, letting out a small laugh. 

"We've only gotten half an hour in! Just give it a chance," she said. When Grady made a face, she grabbed one of the bonbons piled in the container on his lap and stuffed it in his mouth before he could protest. "Just eat your bonbons and enjoy the cheesiness of the movie."

Edaline knows one of Grady's greatest weaknesses is her baking, something she uses to her advantage in any moment she can. Such as now, watching a Hallmark Christmas movie that is, admittedly, very corny and pretty bad. 

"This is pretty bad," Edaline admitted about ten minutes later after the main character and love interest had a falling out over a simple miscommunication. 

"Well yeah, but now I'm invested in this," Grady said, eyes trained on the TV. 

Edaline got sudden flashbacks to their first movie date. They've seen plenty of bad movies in their time together, but to this day that movie still takes the cake for the worst one.

This might be a close second, however.

Edaline stretched out her arms and legs, subtly sliding over in the process. Grady didn't notice at first, as she had only moved a little, but soon she was pressed against his side, one arm slung across his body and the other snaking behind his back, head leaning on his shoulder. 

A few minutes later, Edaline felt her head dip down and eyelids flutter shut. _Hell no I am not falling asleep here on the couch._ But her head dipped down again, further than it had the first time. 

Grady chuckled, and Edaline felt the rumble of his body caused by the laughter. "Eda, go to sleep. You're falling asleep right here on the couch."

"Wanna watch the movie," Edaline whined, shifting her whole body, ending up more on top of Grady. Accidentally, of course. 

And so Edaline found herself fighting with her eyelids once more, head constantly dropping down every few minutes. 

She must have finally drifted off, because the next thing she knows is that her legs are draped over one of Grady's arms and her head is pressed against his chest as he carries her through the apartment. She stirs a little, careful not to move too much and make carrying her difficult. 

"Was the end of the movie good?" Edaline mumbled, her voice muffled by drowsiness and Grady's shirt.

"Of course not," he replied. "If you want, we can rewind so you can watch it tomorrow. But for now," he bent down and gently placed her on the bed, hand lingering on her cheek. "Go to sleep, Eda."

Who is she to argue? Especially not when Grady leans down to brush a strand of hair away from her face and place a kiss on her forehead. 

**♥** **December 24** **♥**

It must have been a bad sign when the morning started already hectic, with Edaline missing her first alarm and having to rush in for her half-day at work. 

It must have been a bad sign when she spilled coffee on her shirt, making her run into the bedroom to quickly change. 

It must have been a bad sign when Grady had to stand at the car in the cold attempting to scrape ice off the windshield before they could head to work.

But somehow, they made it on time, each running into their respective jobs, planning to meet back up in the afternoon to go home and get ready for Alden and Della's Christmas dinner. 

So far, it was looking to be a very fun and relaxing Christmas Eve. 

⚭

As chaotic as the morning was, the afternoon was worse. 

Someone at Edaline's office had sent over _more work_ just minutes before she was about to leave the office, making her plan to meet Grady at 1 become her plan to meet Grady at 1:55. 

At 3 they were still stuck in traffic for what should have been a quick drive home, but was instead a slow creep down the road. 

At 3:30 Edaline and Grady were both rushing into the apartment, not much time left before they'd have to leave for Alden and Della's in order to beat traffic. 

At 4:30 Grady walked into the bathroom to find Edaline brushing shimmery eyeshadow on her eyelids. Despite the mirror, Edaline didn't notice Grady's presence until she heard a small _wow_ from behind her. 

"What's up?"

"You look great."

She turned her head just enough to see Grady out of the corner of her eye and smiled teasingly.

"So usually I look bad?"

Grady laughed and shook his head as Edaline returned to her eyeshadow. "You know that's not what I meant Eda."

She did know, but it was fun to tease him sometimes. She looked in the mirror, watching his reflection behind hers. Even though he hadn't done much, Grady looked amazing in her eyes. 

"Thank you, you look rather sharp yourself."

Grady shot her a wide grin that took her breath away, just as it always does. "Do you know how much longer you'll need before you're ready to go? We should leave earlier than we usually would to make up for traffic, and I'd like to have time to do… something before we go."

"I'm not sure, I need to finish my makeup and my hair. Is it important or can it wait?"

"Um, I guess it can wait. It's not the end of the world if I don't get around to it before we leave but I was hoping to." From what Edaline could see in his reflection, Grady seemed unsure and just a little fidgety. Clearly this was something important to him. 

"I'll try to hurry then."

"Thank you, Eda."

⚭

Edaline frowned. "I feel like I'm forgetting something."

In her focused state of searching through her clutch, Edaline completely missed the way Grady's eyes darted past her to the advent calendar with one closed door, then to the clock. She missed the way his mouth closed in a hard, frustrated line at the clock, presumably upset by the time. In hindsight, she might have noticed this, but she only caught him looking at her when she finally stopped digging through her bag.

"Maybe your keys?" Grady suggested. 

"No, I have those in my bag. It looks like everything's in there, I just feel like I'm forgetting something."

Grady shrugged unhelpfully, glancing to the clock once more. "Shit, we're gonna be late if we don't get ahead of traffic. Are you fine with leaving now?"  
"Yeah, if I forgot something it must not be that important," Edaline said, smiling as she walked past Grady and out the door.

Grady gave a weak smile, looking back at the advent calendar before following Edaline out the door and to their car. 

⚭

It turns out Grady and Edaline did not need to leave as early as they had, they quickly discovered after the third green light in a row with few other cars on the road. 

Edaline was thrilled by this turn of events, as it meant that they definitely would not be late to dinner and that she'd have more time to talk to Della before the party. Della seemed excited on the phone the day before, and Edaline was curious to find out what about the party was making Della so enthusiastic, other than the fact that she's hosting a party.

Grady, on the other hand, did not seem as enthusiastic. He kept glancing at the car's clock from the driver's seat every few minutes, his lips pressing into an even harder line each time. 

"Sorry you didn't have enough time to do what you had wanted to do before we left."

Grady's eyes softened, shooting a glance in Edaline's direction. "No, Eda I—" he let out a tiny sigh. "It's okay, I promise. I told you it really wasn't the end of the world didn't I?" His tone was light, but Edaline can read him like a book. Whatever it was he didn't get to do before they left was eating him up inside. 

"What was it anyway?" 

Grady hesitated a few moments before smiling. "A surprise."

"A good one?"

"Hopefully." 

Edaline wasn't sure what that meant, but was able to recognize when Grady wanted to let a subject go. So instead, she joked about Alden's disasters in cooking back in college. Grady laughed so hard she thought he was going to have to pull over, but potential car accidents aside, the subject change lightened the mood in the car, and they recalled all of Alden's failed dishes and minor fires over the course of the ride. 

⚭

"Grady! Edaline!" Della rushed over to greet them, wrapping Edaline in a hug. "I wish I'd known you'd be here so early, I wouldn't have made you wait at the door." Her eyes wandered to Edaline's hand, her happy expression seemingly replaced by a confused glance in Grady's direction before quickly regaining her blinding smile.

"Sorry, traffic was lighter than we were expecting," Edaline said, putting aside her own confusion at Della's reaction. 

"That's alright, I'm always happy to see you two. The others should be arriving soon. Can I take your coats for you?" 

Grady stepped forward, taking Edaline's coat from her hand before she could pass it to Della. "Thank you Della, but I can take them. I'll be heading back to talk to Alden for a little while anyway." 

Della nodded, giving Grady a knowing look. "Alright, he's in the kitchen. Don't burn my house down," she joked as he walked by. She turned to Edaline to lead her to the living room. "Do you want something to drink? We can just sit and talk while we wait for the others."

Edaline accepted, following Della towards the couch to sit, gratefully accepting the glass of champagne. Hundreds of questions danced in her head, ranging from _who else is coming?_ to _what the hell is wrong with Grady?_ and _do you know what this mystery surprise is?_ But all questions evaporated as soon as she and Della began talking and laughing, worries replaced with laughter. 

Soon enough, Alden and Della's guests began trickling into the house. Edaline glanced around between conversations, looking for some sign of Grady. During one encounter catching up with Elwin, who she hadn't seen since college, Edaline finally spotted him at the other side of the room, laughing and talking to some coworkers. Edaline smiled, glad to see the stressed expression replaced by a cheerful one. 

Elwin waved ended the conversation and waved goodbye to Edaline, having seen another old friend from college. Somewhat tired of talking to people and definitely tired of standing for as long as she had, Edaline returned to her original position on the couch and leaned back. 

She looked around the party, silently observing all of Alden and Della's guests. She smiled at the sight of a young boy happily laughing and playing with the train under the tree. The red haired woman watching him fondly while her husband spoke to a friend, drink in hand. The pretty young blonde woman sitting on the bench at the window, eyes shining and face flushed, deeply invested in a conversation with the young red haired man next to her, a smile and blush to match hers. 

Watching the guests, Edaline thought about her past, present, and future with Grady, very much like Scrooge (though happier, thankfully). Watching the young man and woman talk and flirt and let the whole world fade away reminded Edaline of their early days, when she could forget about the rest of the room and focus only on Grady. 

(Not that she doesn't still do that sometimes, though she's better about it as a grown woman than as a college student. That's what she tells herself anyway.) 

And then there's the family. Something she never thought much about, but in that moment watching the way the parents looked at their son, the way they looked at each other with the same shining eyes as the young couple, she realized that she wanted that. A love that stayed strong even after years, after living and loving and fighting. A love strong enough to keep that shine in their eyes and allow them to forget about the rest of the room, even as their friend stood nearby. A love like—

"Are you having a good time?" Grady asked, having suddenly returned from a conversation with two of his and Alden's colleagues.

"Yes," Edaline said, smiling. "Just resting for a while before dinner."

"Well in that case, I think I'll join you." 

Grady sat down right next to Edaline, slightly pressed against her side and holding her hand in his.

After a moment he sighed. "I'm hungry."

Edaline burst out laughing, surprised by the statement after the brief silence. 

"What? Don't act like you're not, I know you haven't eaten since noon."

"I am pretty hungry," she admitted. "But it's alright, I'm sure Alden will have dinner done soon enough and we'll both have eaten far too much."

"Assuming he doesn't burn the kitchen down," Grady joked. 

"Now, Alden is usually very competent in the kitchen. Usually."

Hunger completely forgotten, Edaline watched the most interesting guest at the party. She watched Grady's hand move as he talked, not missing the way he still held onto hers with the other. She watched when his smiles grew larger and brighter at her laughter. She watched his eyes shine when she responded with something just as funny. 

She almost missed Alden calling for dinner, until Grady was lifting her up from the couch. She did not miss how his brow quirked as though debating whether he should tease her for missing Alden's announcement, and did not miss the way Grady grinned when she shot him a warning look. She definitely didn't miss Della wiggling her eyebrows at her teasingly as they passed arm in arm. And she made sure Della wouldn't miss her tongue stuck out in response. 

Edaline didn't miss the way Grady's foot bumped hers halfway through dinner. She glanced up to look at Grady, barely suppressing a grin as she hit back with her foot. They continued on like that through dinner, only stopping once Della wiggled her eyebrows at Edaline again.

⚭

About two hours later, the guests were beginning to quiet down. The young boy had fallen asleep, his parents grabbing their bags and quietly wishing the rest a merry Christmas as they carried him out to go home. 

Just as the guests had slowly trickled in hours earlier, they slowly trickled out, like a movie disc on rewind. Until there were just Grady and Edaline, and Alden and Della. Edaline curled up on the couch, pressed against Grady's side with his arm around her shoulder. Alden sitting on a chair, Della on the arm leaning against him. 

Hours after the guests left, the four friends still sat in the now-quiet room. Talking, reminiscing, sharing hopes for the future. For as closely as Edaline had been watching Grady earlier, she managed to miss his glance in her direction. 

Finally the conversation had run out, both parties ready to be alone in their homes, curled up with their partner. Edaline stood, Grady following suit soon after to collect Edaline's clutch for her and grab their coats. Della pulled Edaline into a hug as she said goodbye, wishing her a safe drive home. Edaline waved from the car as Grady pulled out of the driveway, waving until she could no longer see Della and Alden. 

⚭

"I'm going to go change into more comfortable clothes," Grady said as he walked down the hall into their bedroom. Edaline hummed in response, reaching up to take her earrings out. 

At that moment, she felt her eyes wander to the advent calendar with twenty three open doors and realized why she felt like she had been forgetting something. 

"Hey, Grady," she called. "I just figured out what I had been forgetting. I didn't check the advent calendar today."

Crashes from down the hall. "Wait, Eda!" Frantic footsteps running towards her.

"What, are you worried that my gifts will turn out to have been better?" She teased with a smile, opening the door that read _24_ and looking inside. Her teasing tone died away as soon as she spotted the item waiting for her inside. "Oh." 

Edaline turned around to see Grady staring at her, eyes wide. In any other circumstance, she would have laughed at his state, with his shirt half untucked and top button undone. Instead she found herself staring at him while she clutched the small box. After a few moments of looking into each other's eyes searching for the right words, Grady cleared his throat and stepped forward to take gift twenty four from her. 

"Edaline," he started. "I was hoping to be standing here when you opened this box more than any of the others, but this will have to do. Eda, love, I hope you've had a wonderful December, and even beyond that, a wonderful five years living in our apartment. Because I know I have, and I know that I want to spend more years in this apartment. Hell, a house. A mansion, whatever you want. I just want to be by your side for this Christmas and every Christmas for the rest of my life. So," he said, dropping onto his knee and opening the small velvet box to reveal a ring. "Will you marry me?"

Edaline stood reaching for the answer, studying Grady's waiting face while she found the simplest words to explain her feelings. 

"Yes, I— Yes!"

Grady's face broke out in a grin, eyes shining as he stood to put the ring on Edaline's finger. 

He never got a chance, because as soon as he was back on his feet, Edaline was holding the back of his neck and sliding her lips against his. And though it's likely not the response he was expecting, he made no complaints, instead pulling Edaline's body flush to his and moving his lips to hers. 

Once they finally broke apart, breathless and flushed, Grady lifted Edaline's hand to slide the ring onto her finger. Edaline rested her hand on his chest, studying the delicate diamond pattern centered around an intricately cut gemstone. In other words, Edaline loved it. She loved _him._

"Do you like it?" Grady asked, eyebrows furrowed in concern. "I don't know if—"

Edaline shut him up by pressing a quick kiss against his lips, pulling away not too long after with a smile. "It's perfect."

Grady wrapped his arms tighter around her waist and pulled her in until his forehead was resting against hers, eyes closed and lips in a soft smile. And they stayed that way a while, swaying together in their apartment to music only they could hear as snow drifted down outside. Edaline was more than happy to stay that way, just the two of them, forever. 

Edaline finally lifted her head, immediately met with Grady's eyes watching her with stars in his eyes as though she was the only person in the world. She was sure that if she looked in a mirror, she'd be able to see the same look in her own eyes. She really loved him more than anything.

But when she opened her mouth to tell him this, there weren't enough words to make him understand the extent of her love. So she laughed, just once, softly, before she was craning her neck to catch his lips. She felt his smile against it and couldn't help but reciprocate, eliciting a tiny laugh from Grady as well. He lifted his hand from her waist to cradle her cheek, holding her there for just a moment. When Edaline pulled away, it wasn't long before she found herself pressing another kiss to his nose, then another on his jaw, struggling on her toes to kiss his forehead. 

And then Grady was holding her again, just his arms around her waist and her face in his neck, breathing in the last notes of his cologne. 

"Do you want to go to bed?" Grady asked, voice low against Edaline's ear. 

Edaline nodded, pulling away from his embrace and turning to walk towards their bedroom. She kept a hold on Grady's hand, him never lagging too far behind her during the walk. 

⚭

Edaline stood in front of the mirror, carefully wiping her makeup off. She had just closed her eyes to remove her eyeshadow when she felt a strong pair of arms snake around her waist and a face press into her neck, hair tickling her skin. Grady turned his head to place a kiss on her cheek before returning his head to its original position of resting on her shoulder.

"You couldn't have waited five minutes for me to come to bed?" Edaline teased, putting away her skincare products and turning to face Grady.

"Five minutes is so long," he whined, leaning forward for another kiss.

Edaline smiled into the kiss, walking him backwards out of the bathroom and towards their bed. 

She collapsed on the bed, dragging Grady down with her by his hand. He landed with a small grunt, causing her to laugh softly. Any annoyance in Grady's face disappeared at the sound of Edaline's giggle, instead turning into fondness so sappy that Edaline desperately wanted to tease him. She knew that she'd be the world's biggest hypocrite, instead allowing Grady to look at her with stars in his eyes once more. 

Still holding his hand, looking into his eyes, Edaline fell asleep to the sound of sweet nothings being whispered by Grady. 

**♥** **December 25** **♥**

Edaline's eyes fluttered open, struggling to adjust to the faint morning light shining through the window. Once her eyes had finally cooperated, the first thing she noticed was the sparkle on her hand. The sight brought a rush of happiness through her body, reminding her that the previous night's events weren't just a recurring dream, but were a reality. Hers and Grady's reality.

The next thing she noticed was Grady up against her side, his eyes still closed. She smiled and brushed her hand on his cheek, wanting to be closer without waking him. Unfortunately, Grady seems to have very acute Edaline senses, and immediately began to stir at the movement. 

"Good morning," Grady murmured, turning to face her. Edaline watched a slow sleepy smile work its way onto his face as his eyes drifted across her face. He grabbed her hand from his face and pressed a quick kiss to the ring that now sat on her finger. 

"Good morning."

Grady's eyes continued scanning her face, almost with a look of wonder that made Edaline laugh.

"What is it?" She asked, watching his gaze finally meet hers.

"I'm just glad to finally be waking up with my fiancée."

 _Fiancée._ Edaline couldn't help but smile at the words, burying her face into Grady's shirt and letting him pull her closer. 

"Merry Christmas, Eda."

"Merry Christmas, love."

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for reading! This was the first fic I published on AO3 and I was very nervous but here it is in all of its wintery glory. I have a couple more fics being planned and written as we speak, but this one kind of took a lot of energy over the past month and school is a thing that I have to worry about. I hope y'all enjoyed this and come back for some other fics I'm working on ♡


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